C's lose

[Kevin.Lok@outokumpu.com]

KNICKS 96, CELTICS 88


                        FG    FT    Reb
BOSTON    Min  M-A   M-A   O-T   A PF PTS
Griffin             32  3-9   0-0   1-4   3  4   7
Walker         42  6-22  1-2   3-6   1  6  13
Potapenko      27  4-8   0-2   3-5   0  1   8
Anderson       39  8-13  5-6   0-2   4  0  22
Pierce         42  6-17 11-13  0-4   2  4  23
Battie         11  1-3   1-2   1-4   0  2   3
Fortson        17  3-5   2-4   4-8   0  4   8
Williams       14  1-3   2-2   0-1   1  1   4
Overton        9  0-0   0-0   0-0   0  1   0
Cheaney        7  0-1   0-0   0-2   0  3   0
Totals         240 32-81 22-31 12-36 11 26  88
Percentages: FG .395, FT .710.    3-Point Goals: 2-15, .133 (Griffin 1-1,
Anderson 1-3, Williams 0-1, Walker 0-5, Pierce 0-5).    Team Rebounds: 7.
Blocked Shots: 3 (Pierce, Potapenko, Williams).    Turnovers: 12 (Pierce 4,
Walker 3, Williams 2, Battie, Cheaney, Griffin).    Steals: 12 (Walker 4, Pierce
3, Anderson, Battie, Potapenko, Griffin, Williams).    Technical Fouls: Illegal
Defense, 3:05 third; Walker, 1:14 fourth.    Illegal Defense: 1.

          FG    FT    Reb
NEW YORK  Min  M-A   M-A   O-T  A PF PTS
LJohnson       39  5-8   4-6   0-8  5  3  14
Sprewell       42  7-14  1-1   0-4  4  4  16
Ewing          31  4-7   6-6  0-12  0  5  14
Houston        43 12-18 10-13  1-3  1  2  37
Ward           32  2-4   4-4   0-2  5  1   9
Camby          12  1-4   0-0   2-4  0  5   2
Childs         21  1-1   0-0   0-0  0  4   2
Thomas         16  1-4   0-0   0-2  0  2   2
Dudley         4  0-0   0-0   0-1  0  0   0
Totals         240 33-60 25-30 3-36 15 26  96
Percentages: FG .550, FT .833.    3-Point Goals: 5-10, .500 (Houston 3-4,
Sprewell 1-3, Ward 1-3).    Team Rebounds: 11.    Blocked Shots: 4 (Ewing 2,
Camby, Thomas).    Turnovers: 17 (L.Johnson 5, Houston 3, Sprewell 3, Ewing 2,
Childs, Camby, Dudley, Ward).    Steals: 7 (Ewing 3, Houston, Camby, Sprewell,
Dudley).    Technical Fouls: Camby, 6:23 second.    Illegal Defense: 1.

Boston    25 25 21 17 88
New York  33 16 23 24 96

A 19,763 (19,763). T 2:16.    Officials Bennett Salvatore, Scott Foster, Leon
Wood.
AP 1/4/2000 22:32

Knicks 96, Celtics 88
By Associated Press, 1/4/2000 23:05
NEW YORK (AP) Allan Houston wants to make the All-Star team, and it showed
Tuesday night.
Houston scored a season-high 37 points, coming up one point shy of his
career-high, to lead the New York Knicks to a 96-88 victory over the Boston
Celtics.
Currently third among Eastern Conference guards in fan balloting behind Allen
Iverson and Eddie Jones, Houston will likely need to be selected as a reserve by
the conference's coaches for the All-Star game Feb. 13.
Houston, a six-year veteran and a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, has
never been selected for an All-Star game.
''I can't lie and say I don't think about it from time to time,'' he said. ''It
would be a great thing, but I don't let it be at the forefront. I try to do what
I can, and it feels good to have nights like this.''
Houston, who shot 12-for-18 from the field and 10-for-13 from the line, scored
14 in a fourth quarter in which the Knicks never trailed.
Pointing to his missed free throws, Houston realized he missed a chance to
eclipse the career-high he set against Atlanta in 1996 when he still played for
Detroit.
''It was a different feeling than that night because when I was in Detroit it
was like all eyes were on me. But tonight a lot of guys were doing different
things and it wasn't like just give the all to Allen and let him go. I got them
different ways,'' he said.
Latrell Sprewell added 16 points and Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson had 14
apiece to help the Knicks made up for a poor night from their bench a combined
six points including just two from a foul-plagued Marcus Camby.
Paul Pierce had 23 points and Kenny Anderson added 22 for the Celtics, who had
their two-game winning streak snapped. Antoine Walker shot 6-for-22 before
fouling out in the final minute and then getting a technical foul for arguing.
He had 13 points.
''We wanted to get a road win because that's what we feel we need to start doing
to get to the playoffs,'' Walker said.
It was the ninth win in the last 12 games for the Knicks, who have beaten the
Celtics 15 consecutive times at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks hit 10 of their first 13 shots to take an early double-digit lead,
but Boston steadily chipped away behind 19 first-half points from Pierce and 15
from Anderson to take a 50-49 halftime lead.
It stayed tight throughout the third quarter, which ended with the Knicks
holding a 72-71 lead after going ahead for good on a 16-foot jumper by Sprewell
that made it 68-67 with 2:44 left in the quarter.
Houston hit four of New York's first six shots of the fourth quarter, a run that
ended with a 3-pointer that put the Knicks up 85-79 with 5:28 left. The Celtics
pulled within two, 85-83, before Houston hit another 3-pointer to start a 7-0
run that clinched it.
''It was a dagger,'' Boston coach Rick Pitino said of Houston's final 3-pointer.
''We're going to win when our team gets wiser and more mature. Our next goal is
to beat them at our place,'' Pitino said. Notes: Houston eclipsed his previous
season-high of 31. ... Anderson strained his left hamstring in the first half
but later returned. ... The Knicks improved to 8-3 since Ewing returned from a
partially torn Achilles tendon. ... Walker had scored at least 20 points in the
previous seven games.